Marriage Blessing: Hosea 14v1-9

I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them.

I will be like the dew to Israel, he will blossom like a lily, like a cedar of Lebanon,

he will send down his roots. His young shoots will grow, his splendor will be like an olive tree,

his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.

Men will dwell again in his shade, he will flourish like the corn,

he will blossom like a vine, and his fame will be like the wine from Lebanon.

O Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols? I will ask him and care for him,

I am like a green pine tree, your fruitfulness comes from me.

Who is wise? He will realize these things.

Who is discerning? He will understand them.

The ways of the Lord are right, the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.

Thanks very much, Louise.

Well, chapter 14 in some ways is like a summary, it's a conclusion, a wrap-up of the whole message of Hosea.

So as we come to God's Word, let's pray.

Let's ask that the Lord would help us, not only to understand with our minds,

but that we would feel within our hearts, and that God would change us through his Word today.

So let's pray for that.

Father, thank you for this message of Hosea.

A message that speaks to us today.

And Father, our prayer is that you would not only enable us to understand with our heads intellectually,

but that we would sense it, feel it, experience your work deep within our hearts,

so that we are changed,

we are transformed,

and that we become

the people that you call us to be.

Father, do your work amongst us today.

And for your glory we pray this,

and for our good, in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Together, they stood at the front of the church.

It wasn't their first time.

Almost five years ago to the day,

they had stood in exactly the same place,

promising to love each other until death us do part.

Friends and family had all gathered together to join in their special day,

no expense was spared,

the finest of food,

the luxurious surroundings,

but their marriage celebration was short-lived.

Within a few weeks,

she had had an affair with a colleague at work

and had walked out of the marriage.

But today was a new day,

a fresh start.

In love,

he had reached out to his unfaithful wife

and proposed to her again.

And there they stood in the front of the church,

ready to renew their vows.

But that's what we have in chapter 14.

Here God is reaching out to his unfaithful people,

calling them to himself.

Renew your marriage vows with me.

Look at verse 4.

God promises,

I will heal their waywardness

and love them freely,

for my anger has turned away from them.

You remember that Hosea has been a story

about God's marriage to his people.

God's people had been an adulterous wife.

They had chased after other lovers,

replacing God with other things and other people.

And God couldn't ignore their behaviour.

He was jealous for his people.

He loved them.

And he couldn't let them carry on the way they were.

So God had promised to bring his judgment upon them.

The threat of the Assyrian nation would come upon them.

But God was not about to give up on his people either.

He pursued them.

In love, God reached out to them

and gives them that opportunity

to come to him afresh

to renew those marriage vows.

And that is what God is offering to us today.

Because in a sense, we are no different.

We are the adulterous people.

We've rejected his unfaithful love.

We've resisted his kind and generous rule.

We've provoked God's anger.

And he has promised to come in terrible judgment.

But like a broken-hearted husband

who refuses to give up on his adulterous wife,

so God has passionately pursued us.

In love, God reaches out to us today

and gives us that opportunity

to renew our marriage vows.

So today, this moment,

imagine yourself standing

at the front of the church.

As it were, if you were renewing those vows,

a new beginning.

Maybe you've never experienced

a relationship with God.

You've never known that intimacy

with God as father

and a faithful, loyal husband.

Well, today, you can.

Or perhaps your relationship with God

has just grown cold.

You've lost that sense of intimacy.

It's a closed relationship

and you no longer experience his love.

Well, today, you can.

Because chapter 14 gives us that opportunity

to come and meet with God

and renew those marriage vows.

So what will this marriage blessing look like?

Well, let's look at it in two ways.

First, it's a call to return

to our true love.

Look at verse 1.

Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God.

Verse 2.

Take words with you

and return to the Lord.

This calling of return

is a call to daily repentance.

I'm sure as you've been to weddings,

you'll hear these vows.

The husband is asked this question.

Will you love her?

Comfort her?

Honor and keep her

in sickness and in health?

And forsaking all others,

keep yourself only for her.

Forsake all others,

keep yourself only for her

as long as you both shall live.

Well, that's what God is seeking

as he's calling his people

to return to him.

Forsake all other loves

and keep yourself only for him.

Now, before we look at how we do that,

this returning,

this repenting,

we need to identify

what those other loves are

that we have.

And to help us to identify,

I'm going to ask us all

just two very simple questions.

So I want us to think through

what is your answer

to these questions.

Here's the first one.

What do I turn to

for my comfort and pleasure?

In life,

what do I turn to

for my comfort and pleasure?

Maybe it's work.

Maybe it's shopping.

Maybe it's porn.

Maybe it's some substance abuse.

What do you turn to

for your comfort and pleasure?

Here's the second question.

What do I look to

for my joy and happiness?

Or sorry,

who do I look to

for my joy and happiness?

Who are the people

that I treasure most

that I want

for my joy and happiness?

Well, whatever your answer

to those questions,

these can become

our substitute loves.

We replace God

with these other loves.

and our calling today

is to return

to our one true love.

Here's how we do that

in three steps.

Here's the first one.

Take responsibility

for my sin.

Look at verse one again.

Return, O Israel,

to the Lord your God.

your sins

have been

your downfall.

The reason that Israel

had run away from God

was not because God

had failed them.

It was because

they had eyes

for other lovers.

God had been faithful

and loyal

and generous

and trustworthy

and kind.

So the only reason

why they turned

from God,

well, it was because

of their own sinful hearts.

And that's what we do.

We look away

from the source

of our true love.

We have eyes

for other loves

and put our hope

in other things.

And that's not God's fault

or anybody else's fault.

We can't point the finger

at somebody else.

It's my fault.

It's not my upbringing.

It's not where I live

or what's happened.

If we turn away from God,

if we look to other things,

it's our own fault.

It's my responsibility.

And I must learn

to take ownership

of my sin.

Look what it says

at the end of verse one.

Your sins

have been

your downfall.

So the first step

in returning

to our true love

is to take responsibility

for my sin.

The second is this.

Seek forgiveness

for my sin.

Look at verse two.

Take words with you

and return to the Lord.

Say to him,

forgive all our sins

and receive us

and receive us graciously.

God isn't asking

his people

to do anything.

He's not asking them

to prove their love

or to pass a test.

No, it's a simple call

to come with words

from the heart

seeking forgiveness.

forgiveness.

This is how our relationship

with God starts

and it's how our relationship

with God continues.

It's so simple.

Forgive all our sins

and receive us graciously.

You see,

there is nothing

too bad

or so terrible

that God cannot forgive.

Maybe you're sitting there

and thinking

that if you only knew

what was going on

in my life

or the things I've done

or what's going on

in my life right now,

there's no way

God could forgive me.

Well, hear this invitation

from our true love

to experience forgiveness.

Say to him,

forgive all my sin

and receive me graciously.

In fact,

the words of repentance

are like our sacrifice.

It's like an offering.

Look at the end of verse 2.

Receive us graciously

that we may offer

the fruit of our lips.

The fruit of our lips,

the words that we speak to God.

This is our offering.

This is our sacrifice to God.

King David understood this

when he sought forgiveness

for his adultery.

Psalm 51 records for us

as he comes to God.

This is what he says.

You do not delight in sacrifice

or I would bring it.

You don't take pleasure

in burnt offerings.

The sacrifices of God

are a broken spirit,

a broken and contrite heart,

O God,

you will not despise.

So God is not looking

for your track record today.

He's not looking at the list

of all the things you've done

to prove your love.

He's simply looking

for a broken and contrite heart.

The invitation to us all today

is come with these words.

Forgive all my sin

and receive us graciously.

So,

as we return to the Lord,

take responsibility for my sin,

seek forgiveness for my sin,

and third,

renew trust

in my Saviour.

Look at verse 3.

Assyria

cannot save us.

We will not mount war horses.

We will never again say,

Our gods,

to what our own hands have made.

You see,

God's people

in their spiritual adultery,

as they look to other loves,

they look to other nations,

like Assyria,

to their own military power.

this was going to be their Saviour.

They replaced God

with other nations

and with horses

and with their armies.

We don't need God.

We can live life without Him,

they said.

We can get our safety

and our security

from other things.

And we're no different.

We substitute God

with our work,

our money,

our material possessions

and think,

Well, if I can have that,

then I will be okay.

We replace God

with our children,

our spouse,

our loved ones

and we think,

If I can have this

or if I can have that

in my life,

then I will be secure.

Then I will be satisfied.

Everything will be alright.

But the gods of our making

can never save you.

Israel would discover that.

Assyria wouldn't save them,

they would destroy them.

And that's what will happen to us.

The gods that we make,

the middle of verse 3,

that we have made

with our own hands,

our own thinking,

they will just demand more of you,

they will break you.

But our saving God,

He is the God

who comes to give to you.

Look at the end of verse 3.

For in you,

in God,

the fatherless find compassion.

To run from God

is to become fatherless.

To run away,

to turn away from God

is to be without hope,

without a saviour.

But to return to God,

to renew our trust in Him,

we find our true saviour.

We find a God

who gives His life for us.

A God who will die for you.

A saviour who will never fail you

or trick you

or disown you.

This is what it means

to return to the Lord your God.

It's this daily discipline

of repentance.

Of taking responsibility

for my sin.

Seeking forgiveness

for my sin.

And renewing trust

in my saviour.

As we come to our God

to renew those vows,

it starts with our returning

to Him.

The second thing

that we need to see

as we come to renew

our vows

is that we can have

our relationship

with Him restored,

restored with our true love.

And as we return

to our true love,

God promises us

three things.

I want us to grasp

these three promises

that God brings

to our life

as we return

to Him.

Here's the first one.

Healing

from our past.

Look at verse 4.

Here's God

speaking

to His people

as we return

to Him.

First He says,

I will heal

their waywardness

and love them freely

for my anger

has turned away

from them.

You know,

one of the reasons

why we don't turn

back to God

is because of fear.

We fear that

if we come back

to God,

He's going to punish me

for my past.

He's going to have

a list of all the things

I've done wrong

and He's going to punish me.

But look what it says.

Look at the end

of verse 4.

He says,

My anger

has turned away

from them.

Of course,

Hosea was speaking

of something

much greater

that was to come.

An experience

that we can have

for ourselves

as we trust

in the death

of Jesus Christ

on the cross.

You see,

the punishment

that we deserve

for turning away

from God

is now turned

away from us

and turned

onto

the Lord Jesus Christ.

God's wrath

for my sin

has turned away

from me

and has now

fallen upon

the Lord Jesus.

So when we come

to Him

with our past,

when we come

to Him

with our lives,

we no longer

have to fear

coming to Him

because He

has dealt

with our sin.

He has dealt

with it

in Jesus.

In fact,

He says to us

beginning of verse 4,

I will heal

their waywardness.

I will heal

all their

turning away

and I will

love them

freely.

So hear

this promise

to us today.

in Jesus,

in Jesus,

your past

has been

dealt with.

The barrier

of sin

is completely

removed.

There is now

no condemnation.

You can come

freely to God

and enjoy

the love

of God

because

He has healed

your past.

but it

gets even

better

than that.

Here is the

second promise.

A flourishing

relationship.

Look at verse 5.

God says,

I will be like

the dew

to Israel.

He will

blossom

like a lily.

Verse 7,

men will

dwell again

in His shade.

He will

flourish

like the corn.

He will

blossom

like a vine.

The picture

is clear

here.

It is a picture

of a parched

dry land.

It is barren.

Nothing grows.

But then

verse 5,

the morning

dew

comes

that

drenches

and soaks

that dry

land

and gives

the plants

its vital

moisture

and everything

that is

necessary

for it

to begin

to blossom

and flourish.

And so

as the dew

falls,

the lilies,

the corn,

the vines,

it all

begins to

blossom.

It begins

to fulfil

its purpose.

And that's

the picture

for us.

As we

return to

the Lord,

as we

trust in

our true

Saviour,

as we

turn away

from our

false loves

on a daily

basis,

so we

begin to

experience

His grace.

His grace

falls upon

us like

the morning

dew.

It

drenches

our lives,

it soaks

our lives

so that

we begin

to flourish.

We become

the people

that God

calls us

to be.

In fact,

we will

grow strong

and mature.

Look at

the rest

of verse

5.

We will

become like

a cedar

of Lebanon.

He will

send down

His roots,

His young

shoots will

grow,

His splendour

will be

like an

olive tree,

His fragrance

like a

cedar of

Lebanon.

The cedars

of Lebanon

are known

for their

strength

and durability,

their strong

roots enabling

them to stand

strong and

to grow.

Well,

here's this

amazing promise.

As we

return to

our true

love,

as we

put down

our deep

roots,

as we

invest time

with God

in our

relationship

with Him,

listening to

His words,

speaking to

Him in

prayer,

joining

together with

one another

as we're

doing now,

so we

become strong

and healthy

in our

marriage with

God.

We will

have roots

that will

hold us

fast,

so that

when the

trials test

us,

when the

temptations

begin to

lure us

away,

when the

troubles come

and they

bring doubt

to our

lives,

we will

not move

and we

will be

strong and

mature.

Our

relationship

with God

will flourish

and blossom.

So not

only do we

have healing

from our

past,

not only is

our life

going to

flourish,

but look

at this

third promise,

there will

be fruitfulness

in our

life.

Look at

verse 8.

O Ephraim,

which was

another name

for God's

people,

what more

have I to

do with

idols,

or what

more has

Ephraim

got to

do with

idols?

Our

idols,

the gods

that we

make,

are false,

they're made

up,

they give

us nothing,

they leave

us empty,

they leave

us dry,

they don't

satisfy.

But God

says,

verse 8,

I will

answer him

and care

for him.

I am

like a

green pine

tree,

your

fruitfulness

comes

from

me.

Instead

of looking

to our

false gods,

our idols,

we are to

look to the

true source

of our

love,

who is

God.

And God

promises us

a fruitful

life,

just as the

pine tree

is the

source of

its fruit,

it brings

about the

cones on

the tree,

so God

is the

source for

a fruitful

life for

us.

Look back

at verse 5,

the end

of verse 5,

it says,

like the

cedar of

Lebanon,

he will

send down

his roots

and his

young shoots

will grow.

if we

send down

those roots

deep into

the source

who is

God,

so we

will become

fruitful.

The

imagery

is not

unlike what

Jesus spoke

to his

own

disciples

in John

John 15 · chapter mention

chapter 15.

Keep your

finger in

Hosea and

jump to

John

John 15 · chapter mention

chapter 15.

John

John 15 · chapter mention

chapter 15

and verse 5.

So we're

thinking here

of roots,

we're

thinking of

being tied

in to

the Lord,

and from

that comes

a flourishing

relationship

and a

fruitful

life.

So,

as Jesus

speaks,

chapter 15

verse 5,

he says,

I am the

vine,

you are

the branches.

If a

man or

woman remains

in me

and I

in him,

you will

bear much

fruit.

Apart

from me,

you can

do

nothing.

If anyone

does not

remain in

me,

they are

like a

branch that

is thrown

away and

withers.

Such branches

are picked

up and

thrown into

the fire

and burned.

If you

remain in

me,

and my

words remain

in you,

ask whatever

you wish,

and it will

be given

you.

God,

give me a

new car

or provide

for me a

new house

or give

me better

health.

That's not

the kind of

fruit that is

being promised

or talked

about here.

It's the

fruit that

comes from

a relationship

with God

that's nurtured

and nourished.

look at the

beginning of

verse 7.

It says,

if you

remain in

me and

my words

remain in

you,

so this

is about

remaining in

and abiding

in his

word.

That is the

nourishment and

the source for

fruitfulness.

And the

kind of

fruit that

we can

expect,

well,

freedom from

guilt and

shame,

grace when

we feel

weak and

low,

joy in

times of

struggle and

suffering,

assurance when

we are afraid

and in

doubt,

peace in

times of

trouble and

trials,

comfort when

we lose a

loved one,

hope when

facing death,

eternal life

when Christ

comes again.

Verse 8,

this is to

my Father's

glory that

you bear

much fruit,

showing

yourselves to

be my

disciples.

This is

the fruit

that is

promised when

we return to

the source of

all life as

we put down

our roots

deep down

into God's

word and

soak up that

nourishment.

So we

produce a

fruitful life,

freedom and

grace and

joy and

assurance and

peace and

comfort and

hope.

That is the

promise that

God gives to

you today.

we'll turn

back to

Hosea.

As we've

seen throughout

the book of

Hosea, we

have all

broken our

marriage vows

with God.

And the

problem is

we all do

it on a

daily basis.

well today,

this moment,

as we sit

and hear

God's

word,

it provides

us with a

fresh start,

a new

beginning,

right now.

Look at

verse 9.

Who is

wise?

He will

realise these

things.

Who is

discerning?

they will

understand them.

The wise

and discerning

person not

only hears

God's offer

and these

promises,

but they

put God's

word into

practice.

James reminds

us in the

New Testament,

do not merely

listen to

the word,

and so

deceive

yourselves.

Do what

it says.

If we are

to experience

a fresh start

with God,

if we are

going to

enjoy the

intimacy with

him afresh,

if we are

going to

know these

promises in

our life,

then we

must apply

chapter 14

to our

life.

We have

got to

put it

into

practice.

Look at

the rest

of verse 9.

The ways

of the

Lord are

right.

The righteous

walk in

them,

but the

rebellious

stumble in

them.

Here's the

call to

walk in

the ways

of the

Lord.

What's

that going

to look

like for

you and

for me?

Tomorrow

morning,

tonight,

during the

week,

what's it

going to

look like

to walk

in the

ways of

the Lord?

Well,

it's to

simply do

what chapter

14 is

telling us

to do.

When we

fail and

fall,

rather than

run from

the Lord

in fear,

we are

to return

to the

Lord.

Return to

him with

words,

verse 2,

forgive all

my sin

and receive

us graciously.

Come with

that absolute

confidence and

assurance that

Jesus took

upon himself

all our

acts of

spiritual

adultery and

paid for the

penalty on

the cross and

has now

covered us in

his purity so

that we can

be welcomed

in forever.

He heals

our waywardness,

loves us

freely,

for my

anger has

turned away

from you.

Renew

your trust

in the

one true

Saviour,

Jesus Christ.

Receive

these rich

promises.

Live in

the knowledge

that your

past has

been healed.

Enjoy a

flourishing

relationship

with God.

Experience

fruitfulness

in your

life.

Let's

pray for

God to

do that

work in

our life

today,

right now.

Let's

pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Heaven.

He is wise,